Short Stay: Beyond Bangkok
Road trip across Northeast Thailand
offers wild and mild encounters,
Sean Drakes savors the variety
In the land of fragrant orchids and happy Buddhas, Bangkok is a city of stark contrasts: Humble shacks with sheet metal roofs bookmark concrete-and-glass towers. It is the industrial hub and capital of Thailand, which explains the population of 8 million that’s comprised largely of migratory workers who support the manufacturing of furniture, textiles, electronics and processed foods.
My visit to Bangkok is brief because my goal is to journey off the popular path. The Siam@Siam Design Hotel delivers design swag with straw sculptures, mahogany furniture and varnished concrete, and it’s the launchpad 
for my road trip across northeast Thailand. It is convenient to public transport, after dark attractions and the Grand Palace–a must-do tour. To align mind, muscles and joints for the adventures ahead I book a 60-minute treatment at S Medical Spa.
Nakhon Ratchasima (or Khorat), the mountainous gateway to the northeast region, is 163 miles from Bangkok and my first destination. Half the fun of a road trip occurs on detours and pit stops. On this first leg, curiosity steers me to taste test strange fruit at Klang Dong, a roadside market with a bounty of durian, betel nut and dragon fruit. Nearby is another intriguing site: Wat Thep Phithak Punnaram. As we approach a snow-white spot on the plush mountainside grows, it’s Luang Pho Yai Buddha, it spans 150-feet by 90-feet and is the largest Buddha in this region.
By lunchtime I’m near Khao Yai National Park and sitting before a plate of stir-fried fillet of ostrich at PB Valley Vineyard. This vineyard embodies Thailand’s vision to produce world-class wine–Japan consumes 25% of its export. 
At the first rest camp my senses uncoil then whisper ‘Ooh-la-la’. Kirimaya is a high-end nature resort that specializes in guiltless pampering with affordable luxury. The open-air layout is outfitted with the sort of contemporary Thai design imported by chic lounges in New York and Paris. Attentive staff and majestic surroundings, including a Jack Nicklaus golf course and National Park, assure a heavenly stay.
Seeking a thrill, I drive to The Jungle House and shell-out U$6 to be strapped atop an elephant for a fear-inducing trek through a muddy forest trail and murky river. Half of Thailand’s 7,000 elephants work, the others are wild, according to my guide Yui. Government frowns on locals who bring elephants to urban streets to entertain tourists. To complete an exhilarating day I scour a lively night market for vendors selling flash fried crickets, grasshoppers and beetles. The crunchy critters ar
e not bad if you avoid smearing their gooey guts across your tongue.
Back on the road, I roll toward Surin, a province famed for its annual elephant roundup and nearby Ban Tha Sawang silk-weaving village, where I tour the weaving process and buy original souvenirs. A driver and car for a road trip costs 2,500 baht per day (U$50)—not including gas.
My final detour lets me explore the Phimai sanctuary—a Hindu temple conceived in the 16h Buddhist century. Visitors tour its dark chambers and probe sculptures and carvings, and marvel at what this monumental remnant from an early civilization has endured. Ubon Ratchathani, the easternmost Isan province borders Cambodia and is where my extraordinary road trip ends. The Tohsang Khongjiam Resort is set along the serene Mekong River, which churns a gentle serenade at breakfast.
All week I yearned to get face-to-face with those gentle men in saffron-colored robes. My only sightings were when they scrolled pass my window. On my visit to the Koo-Har-Sa-Wan temple, curiosity drew me to a cliff with a tiled staircase. A gong sounded and lured me down the steps into a spacious room overlooking a valley. On the linoleum-lined floor were eight monks-in-training kneeling before huge, golden statues, as a small group of villagers shared breakfast. They invited me in to join their meal. The road less traveled offers wild and mild encounters, don’t delay to chart your Thai adventure.
© SEAN DRAKES
[ 404.654.0859 | SEANDRAKESPHOTO@gmail.com ]
Short Stay: Knoxville Renaissance
News anchor Tearsa Smith is never
bored in an emerging tech town
By Sean Drakes
“As long as I am in this field my life is never going to be boring,” says Tearsa Smith, a morning and noon news anchor for ABC affiliate WATE–TV 6 News. That sentiment also applies to her adopted hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Charming and quaint with a population of about 174,000, Knoxville is noted for its contributions to country music and the 1982 World’s Fair international expo. Among its acclaimed locals are poet Nikki Giovanni and William Henry Hastie, the first African American federal magistrate judge and governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Anchorwoman and city insider Tearsa Smith. Photo: Sean Drakes
Smith points to the new convention center, Turkey Creek shopping district and the $25 million restoration of the Tennessee Theatre as indicators of Knoxville’s diligence to develop. A $2.5 million business incubator at University of Tennessee is one of three high-tech support projects that defines Knoxville’s reputation as Innovation Valley. Originally from Miami, Florida, Smith says Knoxville is a burgeoning media hub with several production companies that support cable TV producer Scripps Networks, which is headquartered in Knoxville and whose presence creates employment for writers, marketing professionals, producers and production crew.
Restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday’s, movie theater chain Regal Cinemas, and processed foods producer Bush Brothers & Co. are also based here. Expansion Management has Knoxville on its 2007 list of 50 Hottest Cities for Expanding Companies. The nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according to Smith, attracts computer science professionals, researchers and engineers to the metro area. But registered nurses, elementary school teachers and auditors outnumber other professions in Knoxville.
“I’m a big shopper, and actually ran the Knoxville Expo 5k/10k,” shares Smith. The Knoxville 100/Casey C. Jones Golf Tournament hosted by 100 Black Men of Greater Knoxville “is a great time for golfers to visit or plan a business trip, tournament proceeds provide “Promise for the Future” scholarships for young men in the mentoring program.” The Knoxville Opera Rossini Festival [has] “an Italian wine tasting hour, it is one of my favorite events that showcases the city’s love of the arts.” The Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival and Women Today Expo are other uniquely Knoxville events, visit City of Knoxville for a full lineup.
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Tearsa Smith’s City Insights:
STAY: Built in 1799, the Maple Grove Inn 8800 Westland Drive is a Georgian-style house, each of its seven suites is uniquely styled and some have a fireplace. “My favorite room is the Maple Suite,” offers Smith. “Rooms are spacious and don’t feel [like] commercial hotels.”
Four Points by Sheraton Knoxville Cumberland House Hotel 1109 White Avenue is a centrally-located swank, boutique property in the Fort Sanders Historic District. It’s just steps from the Knoxville Convention Center and University of Tennessee.
DINE: It’s tradition at Pasta Trio 119 South Central St. (865) 540-3970 to bring a bottle of wine for your dinner. You sign the empty before adding it to the installation that’s a centerpiece of the decor. Entrées such as the Cajun pasta which Smith says, “is extremely spicy and beyond good,” are mid-range at $20.
Baker Peter’s Jazz Club 9000 Kingston Pike “is an old mansion converted into a jazz club/restaurant with intimate lighting,” describes Smith. “It’s like eating in someone’s home. The food is consistently good.” Her recommendation: the port wine duck confit with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach and port wine-blueberry syrup.
SHOP: Bliss Home & Art 24 Market Square (888) 809-2424 is a cozy
shop trading in vintage home accessories, glassware and novelties. It stands out in Knoxville’s charming Market Square district. “I got a funky wine holder there.”
Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts 4889 Broadway (865) 689-6545 “is one of my personal favorite [shops], it’s a pamper-me-shop with every type of cream you can imagine, it’s like being at a spa.”
SEE: “I recently went to see the opera Carmen,” at the Tennessee Theatre 604 South Gay Street. “Every time I go there it takes my breath away, the Theatre brings old Hollywood glamor to Knoxville. Bill Cosby, John Legend and Clay Aiken have performed here.
The Comedy Zone 9246 Park West Blvd. “My husband and I double date here quite often. You will leave with a pain in your side from laughter!”
© SEAN DRAKES
Previously published.
[ 404.654.0859 | SEANDRAKESPHOTO@gmail.com ]
SEAN DRAKES 